Is Broncos' Brand Of Football Sustainable Down Stretch?

The Denver Broncos won another thrilling one-score game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.

It was a back-and-forth affair, with the Broncos getting on the board first with two field-goals from kicker Will Lutz before Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored an eight-yard touchdown to give Washington a one-point lead.

Broncos star receiver Courtland Sutton made Broncos history after catching his touchdown pass to retake the lead heading into halftime. Sutton became the third-fastest player and seventh in franchise history to surpass 6,000 receiving yards. He also became the fourth player in Denver history to record 700 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons.

Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, with Washington’s Treylon Burks making an impressive one-handed grab to tie the game at 13 apiece before Denver’s RJ Harvey scored his first of two touchdowns to regain a 20-13 lead heading into the fourth.

New Commanders kicker Jake Moody hit two field-goals, one as time expired to send the game to overtime. Harvey scored his second touchdown on the first possession, putting all the pressure on Washington to keep the game going.

Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota put together a gutsy drive that resulted in a Terry McLaurin touchdown, but given their 3-8 record, they went for the two-point conversion and the win instead of kicking the extra point to extend the game.

Denver’s defense was surprisingly ineffective for much of the game but star linebacker Nik Bonitto came up clutch with a pass break-up on the two-point try to win the game 27-26.

While this brand of Broncos football is exciting, can Denver secure the American Football Conference’s top seed this way?

“The short answer is: Why not? It's worked to the tune of 10-2 so far, but this was the Broncos' eighth win by eight or fewer points,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote Sunday. “Big picture, they have moments when their offense is smooth, assertive and clips off the first downs (four drives of at least 10 plays Sunday), but at other times they look out of sorts and in search of their identity (three punts and an interception in the fourth quarter). Their defense, which had one of its most inconsistent tackling efforts of the season, still locked down in the red zone for much of the game, especially on the 2-point conversion attempt that linebacker Nik Bonitto knocked away to end the game. The bottom line is nobody since September has been able to make the Broncos pay for their risky business.”

The Broncos will travel to Las Vegas for a divisional showdown against the Raiders in Week 14.